Bio

Foley was born September 8, 1954 in Newton, Massachusetts. He was educated at Palm Beach Community College, and was a business owner, and a member of the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate before entering the House.

Congressional career

In 2003, Foley was widely considered the Republican frontrunner for retiring Bob Graham's Senate seat until he withdrew from the race.

Controversy

2000 presidential election

Foley’s congressional district (FL-16) included part of Palm Beach County, a site of much debate during the 2000 U.S. presidential election. Critics of the election results argued that many in the county mistakenly voted for Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan when they intended to vote for Vice-President Al Gore, the Democratic candidate. The mistaken votes, critics argued, would have easily swung the state of Florida, and the presidency, to Gore. Foley, who won his congressional race in 2000, defended the results by arguing that a Reform Party candidate opposing him drew 2,651 votes in the election, signaling proof of their support in the area. He stated, "The allegations that people were voting in error because they were confused is nonsensical." [2]

Nearly two weeks following the election, on November 18, 2000, Foley delivered the weekly Republican radio address. At this point, the election outcome remained uncertain. Foley remarked that his Palm Beach constituents, "have been caught in the middle of a chaos created by outsiders who will not take defeat for an answer, and by a ballot-counting process that is impossible and inconsistent." He called for a quick end to the lawsuits and appeals, declaring that the election had been decided (in favor of George W. Bush) [3]

Sexual orientation and politics

During 2004 Senate campaign, longstanding rumors surfaced that Foley is either gay or bisexual and is in a longterm relationship with a man. Initially published only in the gay press, the New Times broke the story in the mainstream press which led to other papers including the New York Press addressing the topic.

Foley held a press conference to denounce the "revolting" rumors and stated that his sexual orientation was unimportant. "He wanted reporters to know that he won't answer questions about his sexuality; it has nothing to do with his candidacy." [4] A few weeks later, he withdrew his Senate candidacy, saying he wanted to spend time with his ailing father (the seat was later won by Republican Mel Martinez).

Congressional page scandal

Foley resigned from Congress on September 29, 2006, in advance of an ABC News story about sexually explicit emails and instant messenger exchanges with Congressional pages under the age of 18. See the Congresspedia article on Mark Foley page scandal for full details, including the investigations, cover-ups, and political fallout from the scandal.

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